49 Apocalypse Rules

Chapter 298: Chapter 277: Spore Effects and Shelter Exposure Crisis

In the outer area of the Strategy Research Room’s base lay an open-air plaza where several men and women were currently walking about, occasionally taking deep breaths.

"You’ve been active outside for fifteen minutes. How are you feeling now?"

The voice of Zhang Minglu came through the headsets worn by the group.

"Reporting. I don’t feel anything special yet."

"Dr. Zhang, I feel like my body has gotten much lighter."

"I feel incredibly calm. My heart is filled with gratitude, and it’s like all my negative emotions have vanished."

Many of them reported in.

They were all volunteers participating in this experiment on the Rule, and they included both Ascenders and ordinary people.

The purpose of the current experiment was to have them perform outdoor activities, attempting to inhale the Alien Spores, in order to observe the resulting physical and psychological changes.

"Alright, continue your activities. I will ask again in fifteen minutes."

After speaking, Zhang Minglu recorded each volunteer’s experience, logging it on a timeline.

He made a record every fifteen minutes. Later, by comparing the time against the changes, he could derive data for analysis.

The experiment lasted for several hours, after which all the volunteers were brought back into the base and placed in special isolation rooms.

Zhang Minglu went to Gao Liangwei’s office with a tablet.

"Director, the preliminary results of the experiment are out."

"What’s the situation?" Gao Liangwei asked.

"It’s serious. All volunteers have been confirmed to have inhaled the spores and are showing signs of infection. That includes the personnel wearing professional-grade protective equipment."

Gao Liangwei frowned upon hearing this.

During the previous Blood Plague Rule, even with the virus being airborne, not everyone who was exposed became infected, and protective equipment was effective at blocking it.

He hadn’t expected these Alien Spores to be even more transmissible, to the point of penetrating protective gear. This undoubtedly meant nowhere was safe; everyone was at risk of inhaling the spores.

"This is the post-experiment interview report. Please take a look."

Zhang Minglu handed the tablet to Gao Liangwei. On it was a written report and a summary.

Gao Liangwei glanced at it, his expression growing more and more serious.

After reading it, he looked up and said in a grave voice, "All the volunteers... actually want to inhale more spores."

"Yes, that’s precisely the problem." Zhang Minglu nodded. "Two batches of volunteers, twelve people in total. Every single one stated in the post-experiment interviews that they want to inhale more spores... These are already signs of preliminary addiction."

In the written report, every subject, when answering the question "Do you want to inhale more spores?", gave the answer "Yes."

But the reasons they gave were varied.

Volunteer One: "I feel more energetic, like I’ve had a good night’s sleep."

Volunteer Two: "I’ve always been very anxious before. I have moderate depression, and no medication has worked very well. But in the last few hours, my mood has become unusually calm and peaceful."

Volunteer Three: "I don’t feel like I’m being parasitized at all. I just feel that my body is much better in every way."

Volunteer Four: "I’m experiencing a strange feeling. I’ve become aware that I want to inhale more."

...Almost all the volunteers gave the spores a positive evaluation. Only one or two of them realized they had developed a craving for "more" and remained wary of addiction.

"The situation doesn’t look good," Gao Liangwei said.

"Indeed. This is just a glimpse, but it reveals the whole picture. It’s only been a few short hours, and volunteers are already showing signs of addiction... During the month-long Rule Stage, if there’s no intervention, I’m afraid a large number of citizens will fall victim."

Zhang Minglu paused and asked, "Director, should we propose to the higher-ups that we enforce a mandatory lockdown? At least the number of spores inhaled indoors would be relatively lower."

"The key issue this time isn’t about going out or not," Gao Liangwei said, getting straight to the point. "The key is people’s psychology and awareness. We must make the public consciously resist this addictive property."

"What do you suggest, then?"

"I will immediately submit a request to the higher-ups," Gao Liangwei said. "Get all media and social platforms to expose the dangers of addiction. To ensure the public gains a deeper understanding, we will release a large number of uncensored videos showing the painful and miserable state of addicts for the public to watch."

Zhang Minglu was shocked; he’d never considered such a thing. "Can we really do that?"

Gao Liangwei’s expression was grim. "It’s not a question of ’can we.’ I think the top brass will agree. The Rule the Fire Thief released this time is a soft knife that kills without drawing blood. If we don’t handle it quickly, and a huge number of citizens get addicted and become Parasites, the consequences will be unimaginable."

...

「December 2nd, the day after the fourteenth Rule was announced.」

「Antu City, Book Page Sanctuary.」

Guan Tong sat in front of his computer. Unsurprisingly, he hadn’t left since the Rule was announced.

SCRAPE... SCRAPE...

A scraping noise drew his attention. He turned his head and saw Coal Ball scratching at the wall with its sharp claws, looking agitated.

When it was still a kitten, staying inside the sanctuary all day was fine. But now, with its cheetah-like physique, being cooped up in an enclosed room all day meant it couldn’t really move around.

Just like a dog that isn’t walked, which can become depressed or frantic, Coal Ball seemed to be developing the same problem.

’If I’d known this would happen, I should have just left it in the canyons back in Pinglu.’

’Coal Ball is a powerhouse in the wild now,’ Guan Tong thought. ’Its survival instincts are top-notch. I wouldn’t have to worry if I let it loose in nature.’

Now, Coal Ball’s constant scratching was getting on his nerves. He took out the [Corpse Whistle], summoned a few Living Dead, and had them "play" with Coal Ball to burn off some of its energy.

He then checked for information online.

Only a day had passed since the new Rule, and a large number of people were already sharing their experiences of inhaling the spores online.

Almost everyone gave positive reviews, recounting the physical and psychological changes the spores brought.

Many people who had developed severe mental illnesses during the [Five Senses Deletion] Rule said that after inhaling the spores, their mental health had greatly improved.

To quote some of them directly: "It’s as if all the past pain is rapidly disappearing, replaced by a faint sense of joy and a hopeful longing for the future."

The more Guan Tong read, the more he frowned.

These experiences reminded him of things drunk people say, like "floating up to heaven" or "walking on clouds"—not sensations a normal person would have.

Beyond ordinary people, many Ascenders also stated that after inhaling the Alien Spores, they were pleasantly surprised to find their Psychic Power seemed to have increased slightly.

When Guan Tong saw this, he didn’t feel envious, but rather a bit of fear.

’It seems these spores tailor their effects to the individual; they give people whatever they lack or desire.’

’The mentally unwell find psychological relief, the physically weak gain strength, and Ascenders get a boost to their Psychic Power...’

However, compared to the widespread voices extolling the benefits, there were also many whistleblowers speaking out against it.

Their viewpoint was unanimous: these benefits were just bait on a hook. The consequences of getting addicted and ultimately becoming a Parasite would be devastating.

The government’s stance was consistent with the whistleblowers’, and they provided numerous examples.

A massive amount of internal video footage was released, filled with scenes of misery so shocking they were hard to watch.

Many people were stunned after seeing it.

In the past, public awareness campaigns on the topic had always just scratched the surface. For example, gruesome images of addicts’ faces and bodies were always censored out of consideration for privacy and human dignity, and only the less severe cases were ever shown.

This time, however, the government released a massive trove of previously classified internal files, explicitly warning the public that the consequences of getting addicted to the Alien Spores and becoming a Parasite would likely be even more horrific than what had happened to these addicts!

To a certain extent, this was effective. Many people left comments under the videos.

"Is the stuff in this video real? So scary, several of them don’t even look human anymore!"

"So this is how miserable severe addicts become..."

"It couldn’t be helped. There were too many morons hyping up the benefits of the spores, forcing the government to release this footage to show them the ugly reality of what a true addict becomes."

"Strongly resist the Alien Spores!!!"

Guan Tong saw these comments and knew the government’s actions were having some effect. It was just hard to say how many people would actually be alerted.

WEE-WOO WEE-WOO WEE-WOO—

Just then, another burst of piercing police sirens came from outside. Guan Tong’s gaze left the computer and turned toward the door.

Since the new Rule was announced yesterday, the frequency of police sirens had not decreased at all; in fact, it had increased quite a bit.

This indicated that the Sakura Prayer government had decided to disregard the effects of the current Rule and continue to vigorously investigate the truth behind the bombing incident caused by Wu Wang.

This was not good news for Guan Tong.

’If Sakura Prayer’s Sheriff’s Department conducts a city-wide sweep... it’s only a matter of time before they find this abandoned warehouse where my sanctuary is hidden.’

’Antu City isn’t that big, and the number of habitable places is even smaller. The Sheriffs are bound to investigate a derelict warehouse in the suburbs like this one.’

’At that point, my sanctuary will be discovered.’

’Normally, I’d just pack up, find a more remote location, and re-summon the sanctuary.’

’But now, the moment I step outside, I risk inhaling the Alien Spores. It’s a huge risk.’

’But if I don’t leave and try to tough it out... the sanctuary’s current defenses are nowhere near enough to withstand a full-scale assault from a national power.’

’Besides, I don’t want the secret of my sanctuary getting out.’

"...This is going to be tricky."

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